The Swordsman and the Apprentice
by doomsta27
Summary: Joel and Ellie spent the last two years living in Jackson and both are respected members of their society. Ellie is part of Jackson County's scavenging team and strays too far in an old town and is out numbered by new infected. Luckily, she's saved by the new guy of the town. Soon after, the two spend time together and learn to see the world though each others eyes.
1. One: A New Life

** = One =**

** A New Life**

* * *

"Fucken A, this is bullshit !" Ellie yells at the top of her lungs, as she holds a silver 9MM pistol closely in her hands. She and Joel were at a site not to far from Jackson County. The spot Joel, Ellie and most of the Jacksonville community regularly travel to, is for safety lessons and gun control. Dub " The shooting range ". Which just consisted of a small open field near a flowing river bed, between the mountain terrain.

"Another jammed gun kiddo ?" Joel says , s he steps away from his demonstration of showing a group of local teens and kids the proper way of holding a weapon, as well as other the important aspects of gun handling.

"NO ! I know what a jammed gun is Joel, the stupid thing just won't fire !" Ellie replies with growing anger at the situation.

"So it just won't fire then ?" Joel says with a raised eyebrow." You're not giving me much to help you with here Ellie. "

Ellie groans in frustration.

"Fine then ! Here, take the fucken thing." Ellie passes the pistol to Joel, as she breathes out in defeat.

Joel gave a light-hearted roll of his eyes as he took the gun. He would never admit it but ever since he's known Ellie, her "quick-to-anger" attitude was one of the many cute traits that always brought a humorous smile to his face.

As Joel inspects the 9MM pistol, he looks over the outside for any obvious causes of damage. Not seeing anything on the outside of the gun, he removes the pistol mag and clears the firing chamber. Next Joel holds the pistol toward the stack of old soup cans that Ellie intended to fire at, just incase. He steadies himself, carefully aims down the iron sights and then pulls the trigger. But instead of hearing the discreet metal clink of the gun being dry fired, Joel hears ... nothing.

Ellie, who has watched the entire time, finally speaks up.

"So … is he going to make it ?" Ellie says, referring to the gun, making small joke showing she's calm down.

"I'm afraid not, the firing hammer didn't move an inch when I pulled the trigger, that means it broke clean off from the inside."

"Aww, but I just found it last week on our supply run. I've waited this whole time just to test out the fucken thing." Says Ellie, as she looks at the ground.

Joel tries to think of a solution to Ellie's gun problem, but he only sees two possible outcomes.

"Well, the only thing left now is to see if Jamie or Samson can weld some parts together to fix the hammer for ya, if they're working at the Metal shop today or you could chuck it up as a loss and break it down for spares. Other than the there's not much else you can do, I'm sorry kiddo."Says Joel as he stands next to Ellie with a hand on her shoulder.

"But but Joel, it's so shiny." Ellie replies with a pouting look on her face.

Joel gives a small laugh as he pats Ellie's back to cheer her up and the pair share a quick playful moment. Eventually their small bit of fun ends when the voice of a boy calls for Joel's attention as he jogs up from behind the two.

"Uh Mr. Miller, the group and I were wondering, could we start practicing breaking down our side arms ?" The boy says with a bit of nervousness behind his voice.

"Oh that's right, it slipped my mind for a second. Sorry about that Johnny, tell the group to go ahead start and I'll be right there in a sec."Joel responds to Johnny as the he happily jogs away to tell the others.

Johnny Pallens was kind spirited boy, barely turning fourteen only a few days ago. He and Ellie became quick friends from the day she and Joel decide to stay permanently in Jackson county. Although Ellie and Johnny knew each other for only a few short months, they quickly found out they had a lot in common, such as music, books, and even comics. Especially the comics, the second Ellie found out Johnny had the entire series of Savage Starlight she knew she found the perfect friend. Even though She preferred to hanging out with the teens and adults of the town, Ellie still enjoyed spending time with Johnny and his "overly talkative nature". Which Ellie didn't mind, in fact its was sometimes a nice change from Joel's quite and calm demeanor.

Another of Johnny and Ellie's favorite things to do was tell stories, whether the stories being fictional or about their own lives just depended on the day it was. But stories Johnny would always ask Ellie to tell would be about her and Joel's Journey to find the fireflies. She never would go into the detail of why the need to find them in the first place but Johnny would listen regardless. Ellie would describe every detail to the best of her memory, like how Joel would take down bandits with ninja like reflexes, or how he would win against hunters in a one versus four fight using only his bare fist. She even told him about the time Joel got into a massive shootout with the military themselves when they made it to the capitol building. Johnny would listen in awe to every word that Ellie said and being the big mouth that her good friend is, he began to tell the stories to his friends, family, and even his neighbors. Most didn't believe him, some of the adults would even straight out tell Johnny that he had an overactive imagination or that he seen too many movies at the town's weekly community movie nights.

But then, Ellie began to remember when about Nine months ago from today, some of the towns weapons and hunting experts all left to go on their weekly scavenging missions to find supplies, food, and anything else that would prove useful to the people of Jackson county. That was when a group of bandits raided the town, killing some but taking down most, catching the women and children and tying them up like animals, likely taken back to their own camp and used as slaves or god knows what else.

Ellie, along with a few select adults and teenagers, were part of the scavenging crew that parted from the town. She didn't feel comfortable being on the outside without Joel close to her, watching her back but Ellie didn't much choice on the ordeal.

A hunting trip before the current scavenging run, Joel and Ellie take on the simple task of hunting and to bring the meat back for the community BBQ that was held at the end of each month. Its meant to signify good luck and fortune to the town

But as fate would have it, luck would not be so kind to Joel. After taking down a large buck, Joel wanted to surprise Ellie with the quick race to their kill. Their fun was short live when Joel, by quick instinct, jump to dodge an old bear trap, only to step in a small hidden pit covered in leaves, severely straining his ankle. Despite the pain, Joel made it home with Ellie under his arm helping him the way, both carrying heavy satchels of meat from of their kill.

As much as Joel tried and pleaded with Tommy and Maria for him to come along for the scavenging trip, they simply made the man rest with his injure ankle supported above the other.

The aspect the of Joel staying behind due to his injury, would actually a blessing in disguise. Joel was resting inside his and Ellie's home, which was partly secluded from the rest of the homes in the neighborhood. That was when the bandits arrived, and when they attacked, even in Joel's injured state, he was ready to protect his Town.

When the scavenging party finally returned, they with the disturbing sight of burning guard towers and black smoke rising from different parts of the town. Ellie along with everyone else who had just arrived, frantically began to search for friends and loved ones among their smoking homes.

It was when the team made towards the town hall, that their fears are to rest. It was there that the children and the surviving men and women forced open a pair of large doors, rushed to their returning families, embracing each other, both sides no longer afraid that they would never see one another again. The last to emerge from the building was none other than Joel himself, still limping from his earlier injury.

On that same day, the community all retreated back into the town hall to patch up the wound from the raid. Most, if not all were still shaken up from the attack. They began to tell how they got caught, tried up, and held captive in the town meeting room, all waiting be taken hauled back to the bandit camp. Then the big detail that stood out when anyone asked about their run in with the bandits, would all lead back to the same name in every story. Joel's name more specifically

Maria, who was Jackson county's very own town leader began to ask a few more questions to those who had been in the attacks themselves to clarify the situation.

"Who killed the bandits ?"

"It was Joel."

"Who untied you from the attackers clutches ?"

"It was Joel"

"Who told you to hide in the town hall ?"

"It was Joel"

Even the children faced questioning, helping bring clarity to just what happened. But they also gave her the similar responses.

"It was Mr. Miller" The children answered at the same time.

Thirteen men and seven women were found dead. All belonged to the bandits side and all killed by Joel's hand.

The ones that just learned of this discovery held a look of shock and disbelief across their face's. The shock came from realizing just one man saving their family and friends. As for the disbelief part, Johnny would be blame that.

It was his stories, the stories he told of Joel and Ellie's amazing feats and how they practically took on world and won. Buy now, as was proof of the day's chaotic events, they were not just overly imaginative tales from a teenage boy anymore.

The members of the town began to search for the their savior but he was missing in action. Maria spoke up and said she had seen Joel, Ellie and a few others heading towards the guard fences to meet up with Tommy and the rest, most likely to help secure the outer area to help prevent any more surprise attacks.

Tommy, Joel, and Ellie were at main gates of the town. Ellie was in a guard post higher off the ground on the left side of gate, Tommy was on the guard post that rested just opposite of Ellie's side, while Joel stayed ground side just incase. All three were watching closely, scanning through the thick forest-like trees with their rifles clutched tightly in their hands, waiting for any possible dangers lurking beyond their once peaceful compound. That was when the trio brought out of their concentration by the sound of multiple foot steps behind them. Joel's met by a crowed of people who now stood in front of him. Before anyone could speak a word, Tommy fearing the worst, said to his wife Maria " what happened !? Is everything alright "

"It's ok Tommy were fine, we all just wanted check on everyone who is on guard duty now, and … to thank Joel for saving the people of Jackson." Maria responded in a light tone of voice.

The crowd behind Maria happily agreed to her words as they one by one, thanked Joel for his heroics, while at the same time holding grateful smiles on each of their faces and shaking his hand.

Joel, who was not ready of this type of attention, replied with a simple "You're welcome " and with " uh, sure anytime" when a new thankful towny appeared in front of him.

Tommy just stood there with the feeling of relief wash over him that no other danger had shown itself, but instead, held a small confused look to what was a happening just below the towns main gate.

Ellie however, held the a happy and proud feeling for Joel, as she was well aware of his capabilities to do what he did.

It was from that moment on that Joel and Ellie lives changed for the better. Anytime a town meeting was held, Joel and even Ellie joined them. If a town celebration was held, even though everyone is invited, Joel and Ellie were the first to know. When a hunting team was to be formed for food and supplies, the pair was always asked to join them. Joel and Ellie were also occasional visited by families from the community, who would bring them small gifts like clothing, blankets and delicious home cooked meals.

It has almost been a year and a half since Ellie has lived here in Jackson. She was now sixteen and loving life. Ellie was suddenly pulled from her thoughts when Tommy walked up to her and Joel.

"Alright Joel, here's the practice rounds for the youngins, we should have them stick to the low caliber shots since this is a first time for some being here on the range." Says Tommy as he finishes climbing the small hill leading to the shooting range.

"Sounds good little brother, you go head and I'll catch up in a minute. I'm just gonna go with Ellie back home and see if we can switch out her busted pistol." Joel says to his brother.

Tommy reached out to inspect Ellie's less than faithful gun and says "Broken eh, that's too bad, this one hell of a nice piece."

"Nah its ok Tommy, I found it back on one of our scavenging trips in a pile of junk, so it's not a big deal. Actually Joel said Jamie and Samson might even be able to fix it." Ellie says with a bit of hope behind her voice.

"Hmm Jamie huh ? So that's why Joel wants to go with you to the Metal shop. You can't just stay away from that women, can you big brother." Tommy says with a hint of cockiness in his voice.

Joel's caught off guard from Tommy's comment and tries to respond, but begins to stumble with his words.

"W-What ? I don't know what you're talking about … uh anyways the kids have been wait for their the teacher to return for some time now, you best tend to them … like nowish little brother !

Joel angrily says, as his turns a shade of red from embarrassment .

Ellie looks at Joel with surprise in her expression and gives a small giggle, covering her mouth with her hands. She thought it was funny to see Joel so embarrassed over something like this. Its was truly a rare site to see. on the flip side of that, Ellie was happy Joel found interest in some, especially Jamie.

Jamie Wells was in her late thirties, she had tan skin with long brunette hair. She was one of the Metal shop workers that would do repairs on pretty much anything that could be fixed metal-wise. Jamie, like most people would trade items for her services, but would sometime help others for free. She was beautiful as she was tough and she was polite as she was confident, Ellie liked her and had a lot of respect for her.

In other words, Ellie thought she was perfect for Joel.

Tommy gives a small laugh, then to Joel's relief, changes the subject.

"Ok ok big brother" Tommy says with his hand up in defense, sensing Joel's anger. "I was also stopping by to ask if you wouldn't mind watching our students for the rest of day. I forgot I got hunting duty today at noon time."

Ellie was so busy trying to test out her new gun, that she completely forgot about this weeks hunt. Ever since the bandit incident, the town decide to rotate the different teams of people and to switch out others from group to group, so that everyone who was able to hunt and scavenge would be given an equal amount of time to do so. Which also meant she would be paired up with new people every other week.

"Hey Tommy, that means I'm with your group this week." Ellie stated.

"Yup, that's right kiddo, we also have Jamie, Samson, Mercer,Thomas and I think you friend Kevin is taking his dads place this week. Oh and almost forgot, I asked Marcus "the new guy" if he could join us."

Joel stops to think for second and remembers where he heard that name. Marcus Arkwade was his full name that Tommy told him awhile back. Joel never met him personally, but heard he was particularly good when it came to hunting. Which would end in Marcus bringing back large hauls meat that got on his own.

"Huh, so that's his name. what's the story on this guy ? I heard something about you and him getting into a scuffle when you first meet." Says Joel. as he waits for Tommy to respond

"Well by scuffle, you mean saving my sorry ass, then yeah, me and that fella had a bit of an interesting first run-in with each other." Tommy says with a bit of hesitation.

"What the hell happened ? Spill it little brother." Joel says, as he waits impatiently for Tommy to respond.

"Spill nothin Joel, I just got into a bit of trouble with a damn bear and Marcus got me out, end of story" Tommy tells Joel, hoping to defuse him from going into " overprotective big brother mode".

Ellie had listened to the entire conversation and eagerly wanted to know more about Marcus "The new guy". So with thought thinking, she quickly asked Tommy more questions about him.

"Shit Tommy, how did he save you ? Did he use a gun ? Is he good with a gun ? Did he blast the bear to pieces' ? What the hell happened ?"

Ellie says in rapid succession, but quickly regrets it as she thinks maybe she shouldn't have Tommy go into detail with Joel standing right here.

Then to her surprise, Tommy begins to smile as looks off to the side, as if he remembering the events that took place.

"Aww hell Ellie, you should have seen it, it was straight out of movie or something. One moment I'm chasing down a decent size buck that I nailed in the ribs and the next thing I know, a massive bear beats me to my kill and slashes at me before I can even aim my rifle, that's how got these scars here." Says Tommy, as he pulls up sleeves on his left arm, showing the permanent damage that the bear caused.

Ellie listens with great intent as Tommy tell the origins of his story. She's surprised to see Tommy tell it with such enthusiasm.

"So there I was, laying flat on my ass backing up right into a tree, expecting the worst, when out of nowhere a knife whizzes past me and strikes the bear right in the damn neck. The furry bastard roars out in pain and actually forgets about me for second to turn round. But before the beast can even move an inch, a man drops from the branch of the tree just above me and lands on the top of the bear while at the same time, stabbing it straight in the head. He had pretty nice rifle slung on his back, but he took out the bear in one strike using sword of all things. He was using a samurai sword or a katana is what I think they're actually called.

"That is quite the story, little brother." Joel says to Tommy with his eyebrows raised in amazement.

Ellie stood next to Joel while trying think how it all went down. She pictured every word Tommy spoke and began to imaging the scene in her head. She could see it now, Tommy with his back against the wall, the angry blood hungry bear getting ready to attack when suddenly, an older man jumps down slashes the bear clean in half like it was nothing. Ellie pictures him as he gracefully lands on the ground and quickly places his sword into its sheath, tied to his side. He sounded like he must have years of experience Ellie thought, so the image of an older man pops into her mind with an average build with long snowy type hair. He stood there fierce and strong, ready to take on any who oppose him. Kind of like in those old samurai warriors in those black and white movies that she saw a few times back at the military zones.

Tommy once again broke Ellie's train of thought as he continued speak to the pair about todays plans, that's when he made a suggestion that Ellie had not thought about.

"So we got a few hours till we head out, Jamie and Samson are out getting the stuff we'll need for the trip so I think Marcus is the only one working the metal shop today. Ellie, now would be a good time say hello and ask about repairs for your gun, if you want of course."

Ellie thought of the idea for a moment before she spoke up and asked a question to Tommy.

"oh, so he works at the shop ?"

"Yeah, in fact, he's the one that help build the reloader and smithing pit so we could melt down extra metal for ammunition. He's been a big help to the community for the short time he's been here." Says Tommy.

"Yeah, that reloader has sure as hell been a big help." Joel says as he taps his holstered revolver that rest on his side.

And with that, Ellie switches the damaged weapon's safety release to on before she places it in her backpack. She then decides to he over to the metal shop while the day was still young.

"Alright, so I guess I'll say what's up to the new guy and ask about what he can do about this pieces of junk. I was going to head home first, but can I meet you at your house later Tommy ?"

"Sure thing Ellie, I got a few thing to settle back in town but the team we'll meet up there."

"Sweet, sounds like plan then, later on guys. " Ellie says to Tommy and Joel as she begins to walk away towards town.

"Alrighty then, I'll see you at home kiddo." Says Joel as he and Tommy make their way back to the students in training.

Ellie then makes her way down the trail back to town, she says hello with the other people who are moving to and from the shooting range. Despite the small mishap, Ellie looks up passed the tall trees at the early morning blue sky with a positive feeling around her. Unknowing that something so trivial as a gun breaking, will lead her future to whole new adventure.


	2. Two: Survivors Legacy

**= Two =**

**Survivors legacy**

* * *

As Ellie gets closer to the town of Jackson County, she stops on top of a hill that gives her a beautiful view of her home and its people as they begin to start a new day. The sun could be seen rising above the jagged dips of the mountains as a calm and warm breeze brushes past Ellie's body.

Ellie smiles as she feels the warmth across her arms and face. She pauses and takes it all in, while at the same time acknowledging the signs that spring is officially here.

Ellie opens her eyes and looks down the hills below, she can see the townspeople moving from place to place, saying hello and good morning as they walk up to the many stands for trading goods, such as food, clothing, and weapons. They continue to do their daily rounds, all while keeping smiles of happiness as they do the many necessary jobs needed to keep up a livable home life.

" So peaceful and calm …. me and Joel have really come along way." Ellie says to herself as she enjoys the magnificent site of Jackson and its many people.

Knowing that she has a full day ahead of her, Ellie proceeds downwards toward the town, keeping up with the positive tradition of waving hello to anyone she recognized and to anyone who wasn't too busy working to see her walking by.

Almost every week on early mornings just like this, in the marketplace located right in the center of Jackson. Merchants would set up small stands for trading with many members in the community. But that one thing that surprised Ellie about this early morning tradition was that most of the sellers were not even part of Jackson County itself. Instead, some of the stands were in place for those that would visit the town regularly in the hopes of making good trades for resources they need to keep to their personal journeys.

Some of the traders would decide to stay and become apart of the community ( that's of course if Tommy and Maria allowed for that person to stay ). While others would part for several weeks at a time and return with the typical trade offerings, such as meat for ammo and other important items. Ellie didn't understand why the traders didn't just make Jackson their new home, but she concluded that they must have had their reasons, whatever they may be.

Although Jackson was open to outsiders trading to their community, you couldn't just walk in like you could in the old pre-outbreak days. There were many security checks done before you can even enter the area, as well as the many of the town guards that would patrol throughout the town. Safety was number one priority when it came to people of the unknown, Especially since the bandit raids.

Over time a strong trust formed to outsiders that have traded with the people of Jackson. Most if not all the merchants have worked with the community for the past few years. One man in particular was the first to start this time-honored experience, going by the name of Mercer Niven.

Maria told Ellie his story of how showed up one day badly hurt with burns and bruises from a near death encounter with the infected that quickly went to worse to " I'm so fucken dead !" in a heartbeat.

Trust was a dangerous word to give, if given to the wrong person, it could spell death in world like this.

But that didn't mean Tommy and Maria would just let a human in need to fend for themselves, especially someone in Mercer's state. And so, they took Mercer in to the medical center and helped the old man get back to his regular self. And in the short two weeks that he stayed, he quickly befriended Tommy, Maria, and as well as some of the townspeople with cheery and uplifting attitude.

Then the time came that Mercer decided to continue on his way. Before he left, the new friends he made in Jackson supplied him clothes, food, and even weapons to help him on his way. Mercer felt overjoyed with the town and its kindness, he vowed that he would someday repay the community and its people for their act of kindness, that was in fact a rare treat in this cruel and harsh reality.

Tommy and Maria simply thank Mercer for his generous new undertaking, even though it was not a task he needed to put himself in. The pair was just happy to save someone in their time of need, while unintentionally making a new friend.

As the day came to a close Tommy and Maria walked with Mercer to the front gates, shaking his hand and saying their goodbyes. He could be seen walking away with his back slung to one side as he waves to the married couple. Tommy and Maria look to Mercer, all while caring the sad notion that this was most likely the last time that they would see this man.

The days went on and life in Jackson County resumed back to its original state.

That was until one afternoon, on the days before winter was to come back and take the land as it did every year. A man spotted with a small convoy of people with horses that began to make its way to front gates of Jackson. The group consisted of four men, four women and as well as a tiny group of children that followed just shortly behind one and other.

Once the convoy finally arrived to the front gates, the man who was leading the group could be seen in the clear, which turned out to show none other than Mercer Niven. The man had brought his friends and their family's along for his trip, all caring gifts and offerings, hoping to call the town of Jackson their new home. Mercer however, didn't have a family to call his own, but instead help took care of the families that he escorted like they were his own.

That was well over five years ago that Mercer had made outside trading an accepted tradition.

These days Mercer was more or less a "resident" of Jackson, as he would always be on his own personal adventures in the search useful items that could be trade and or benefit the community as well as keeping a look out for relics and other lost components of the past. However, on his days off from treasure hunting, the man set up shop in an old abandoned tavern, Just next door to the town hall. Although he would sell and trade the various wares he would accumulate on his travels, his most popular item came in the form of a beverage.

An alcoholic beverage.

With the help of others, Mercer was able to use the old fashion methods of making moonshine and apply that into making a brewing station that help create beer, which was easier to make in the long run.

Alcohol was not a necessity for surviving but it did help those who had a long hard day of working the fields or being assigned guard duty or running a scavenging operation …. or just about anything that was necessary to living and surviving in a thriving community.

As dangerous as the world was today, the last thing the town needed was to worry about alcohol getting out of control, so thanks to the two beer limit cap,many enjoyed the drink responsibly.

Many except the younger crowd, who were not even allowed to touch the stuff. The kids and teens under age, to their disappointment, were of course not allowed to drink. Most didn't understand why,most notably Ellie who was just out right confused to the reasons why age would be a problem.

" Old people and their pre-break out logic just don't make sense sometimes … " Ellie thought to herself as she continued walking, making her way to the metal shop.

Meanwhile, unknown to Ellie, someone in the crowd of people spots her and stealthy follows behind her.

Ellie moves through the busy pathways of the town, dodging and brushing past the many people of Jackson, completely lost in thought.

Thats when out of now, a pair cold clammy hands slam down on Ellie's shoulders.

" Give me the keys you cock sucker motherfucker ! " Ellie hears a male voice shout from behind her, as she stopped in place by the sudden force on her shoulders.

For a split second, Ellie filled with fear as the an unknown man attempts to rob her.

But then, her survival instincts kick in and her fear replaced with anger and spills out in the form of an elbow jab.

She bashes the assailant behind her and quickly moves away in a defensive pose, ready to kick some ass.

Ellie stops in place as she hears the grunts of pain she caused, turn into laughter. Immediately to her displeasure, she recognizes the light-skinned, short-haired, well-built, eighteen year old in front of her.

" Kevin !? What the fuck are you doing !? You asshole ! " Ellie shouts.

" Owchy, I was just trying to say hi "The young man in front of her replies as he holds his injured stomach, still laughing from his prank.

Ellie, who was resting her hands on her knees, finally composes herself.

" What the hell do you want Kevin !? " says Ellie, not bothering to hide her anger.

" What ? I can't just say hi to my best girl ?"

" I'm not your " best girl " you dumb ass."

" Aww come on babe, don't be like that"

" Would you just stop it with the fucken stupid names already ! "

Ellie Was easily annoyed by Kevin antics, she clenched her fists, ready to cuss up a storm. That's When Kevin spoke up.

"Okay okay I'm sorry alright, seriously I need the keys to lockup shed, you had them last and I need to get in there before we leave for the hunt today." Says Kevin hoping to defuse Ellie's anger.

Ellie breathes out, letting go of her annoyed frustration. She's surprised on how quickly Kevin could get a rise out of her.

Ellie was willing to do anything to get Kevin out of her sight, she began to quickly search herself for the keys. To her relief they were resting in her back pocket of her pants. She grabs them and hastily tosses them to Kevin.

" See, now was that so bad ? " Says Kevin with his over-confident attitude, slowly backing away.

" Take a fucken hike Kevin ! "

" Sure thing, I'm need elsewhere anyway, so I'll see later …. baby cakes " Kevin says as turns around immediately and sprints for safety, all while laughing loudly at Ellie's frustration.

"HEY ! I said stop calling me that you fucken clown !" Ellie says as her anger spikes once again.

"Fucker, I should be used to his crap to his crap by now. Whatever at least the idiot out of my sight." She says to herself, clearly relieved.

Ellie continues on her way as she begins to lose herself in deep thought once more. She could remember the first time she met Kevin, She had seen him before around different parts of town in her early days of living in Jackson, she thought he was extremely handsome and apparently so did the other girls. The young women of Jackson would always talk about how cute he was, how he's a " real man " when subject of sex came up or even tell stories on how he was fearless when it came to fighting infected. Which in reality, Ellie knew better and that those were more than likely over fabricated stories of horny teenage girls with nothing more than a silly crush. Still, Ellie wanted to see wanted to see what Kevin was about but never had the courage to talk him. Eventually she finally met him, he didn't introduce himself till the stories of her and Joel's adventures of the fireflies spread in the community.

Thats when she found out what a pig-headed ladies man he really was. His cockiness was bearable, it was the stupid nicknames, the cheesy pickup lines and the uncomfortable touching that drove Ellie insane. Even with all that, other girls would still seek to get his attention. Even her best friend Alice Martinez was guilty of swooning over Kevin " the no class jackass ".

" Why ? why him ? How can they stand his stupid shit, he's so god damn annoying, cute but annoying, and I say that's not worth it on the long run !" Ellie says in the back off her mind.

What Ellie didn't know was that the games that Kevin played on her were only for the sake of getting her attention. He fell hard the first time he laid eyes on Ellie, he had a fiery passion that burn for her and the stories that told of what she was capable of, only added fuel to those flames.

"ugh … I can't believe we got thrown in the same group this week, I guess it was bound to happen." Says Ellie under her breath.

That was when Ellie finally made it to the front of the metal shop,s main garage doors. The shop was basically an old auto repair store that was almost untouched from when the world went to shit. Tools and supplies unused, so that was lot of help.

Ellie then slowly proceeds into the open garage door, she can see back of man wearing a grey jump suit with dark brown gloves and boots as well as a welding mask. She could also see small showers of sparks rain on the floor, as well as the sharp piercing sounds of welding equipment cutting through metal.

" Wait …. what should I say ? How should I talk to him ? Maybe I should come back later, he looks busy …. " Ellie says the herself. She felt a little nervous, it was more likely that the stories of him that got to her. But then again, whoever was working now did sound busy.

" I'll just come back later ... " Ellie says as she carefully starts to make her way to the door.

" Can I help you ? "

A deep voice calls out to Ellie, scaring her half to death. She froze in place, as if she got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. After a quick moment she speaks up to the man in front of her, while he still continues to work with his back to her.

" Uh Yeah, so I was hoping you could help with repairing something, well a gun more specifically, it's a pistol I found a while ago. Its firing hammers broken but the rest of it is in great condition. " says Ellie as she lets her confident side do the talking.

" I Know you're pretty busy so it's no rush or anything, plus I don't expect a free handout so I have a lot of stuff you might be interested in for trading if you'd like.

Ellie eagerly waits for an answer as she watches the man continued his work. After a few short seconds he responds.

" Sure I can do that, but honestly I'm little backup at the moment, especial with the hunt that I'll be joining in a few hours. So I might get to it till tomorrow. " Says the man in a stern deep voice.

" Oh ok, that's cool, I don't really need right way, I just like to have a backup weapon just incase." Says Ellie as she use this opportunity to introduce her self.

"Oh and you said your going on the hunt today too, so am I, the names Ellie by the way. "

" You can call me Marcus, its nice to meet Ellie, I've heard a lot about you from Tommy and Maria. "

" Really ? I hope its only the good parts about me you heard about. " Says Ellie, following her up with small laugh.

" Trust me, its been nothing but great things, I like to shake your hand but like I said before I really got to get this stuff done." Marcus says as he continues working.

" It's no problem, I was actually going straight over to Tommy and Maria's house to met up with the rest of the group. So … I guess I'll met you there. " Says Ellie.

" Yeah about that, I was hoping you can do me a favor ? " Marcus asks.

" Yeah, sure what do you need ? " Ellie says, who was a bit caught off guard.

" Can you tell Tommy and the group to leave without me if I don't making to his house on time, I'll catch up the second I finish up here. I know its dangerous travel alone but its gonna be even more dangerous to travel unprepared. "

Ellie hears Marcus's request and shakes her head in acknowledgment. Although she began to think about it, why doesn't he just ask he the group to wait for while, I'm sure the group wouldn't mind. Or at the very least they could loan him a weapon, if that's what Marcus worried about. But then Ellie decided against it and just decides to do what he asked.

" Uh, yeah I'll tell him, if you're sure you can't make it in time. "

" Thank you, that'll be much appreciated Ellie.

" Of Course, it was nice to meet you Marcus, I'll see you later. "

" Like wise, I'll see out on the field. "

With that ,Ellie makes her way out of the metal shop and makes her way to Tommy's home.

" Huh … he's not what I expected, he didn't really look like an old Samurai Warrior. But then again I didn't even get a good look at him either. " She says, with the sound of disappointment in her voice.

" Anyways, Todays hunt might be a good chance to see what that guy is really made of. "

* * *

Thank you for reading, please comment if you have the time. Feed back is always appreciated !


	3. Three: The Outsiders

= **Three **=

The Outsiders

* * *

" _Remember the rules people, One: stay down wind, Two: don't fire unless you have a clear shot and the most important step to follow, Three: don't stray too far from the nearest person next to you_. "

Ellie replays Tommy's words in her head as she slowly creeps forward with the rest of the scavenging group. They are the same set of rule that she has followed down to the very T, every time she traveled outside of Jackson's walls.

But this time around, it's not wasn't such a simple list to follow.

Tommy decided to give the group a small split to cover more ground while we were still pretty close to home. Tommy's paired up with Mercer, as the two take the lead the from the front, which made sense since they both had the most experienced in the group exploring the nearby areas. Jamie, Samson, and Thomas were in charge of give a wide-spread scan of the left and right sides of the team, also making sure the midsection path was secure

And finally, that left poor ol Ellie forced into a pair with Kevin, as the two watched the rear of the group. Or at least Ellie was, Kevin's eyes were only focused on Ellie's rear as she moved through the tall grass with light kitten steps, hoping to not make a sound. She could see Kevin's stupid eyes steal looks at her as she moved, and that was before they left the damn. The boy just couldn't stop his annoying antics, even here outside the walls of Jackson where stupidity would get you killed

" Why, why is it always me with the shit luck … " Ellie says as she sighs, pushing the loose strands of hair in front of her face.

"_It wouldn't be so bad if Marcus was here like he should have been. How the hell is the guy supposed to catch up now_. " She thinks to herself.

_It was strange how Tommy let Marcus slide so easily about being late on the scavenging hunt, I mean, were kind of short-handed out enough as it is and now there's chance the guy won't even find us out here."_

But Ellie knew the main reasons she wanted Marcus out with her: one - learning about new people in a world like this was really treat as much as it was a rarity. And two - giving her the option to talk to any besides Kevin would have been a godsend. But in reality she knows she'll make to the end of the day, she been doing dangerous activities such as this way before the protective fences of Jackson earned the title of home.

The group continues on, cutting through the tall grass and thick trees, making marks on their map as they scout a new areas. They one by one they moved along unfamiliar territory, climbing sky touching mountains, crossing the rushing waters of the many streams of the land and as well as trekking the narrow paths of the canyon-like falls.

The repetitive nature of traveling and walking long distances always put Ellie in a very unwanted trance. There was just too much silents, too much time get lost in thought.

" _Oh Riley, its times like this a really miss you_ … " Ellie shook her head, pushing the painful memories back the corners of her mind.

Suddenly Ellie brought back into focus when she hears a noise off to the far right, the Sound is faint but she can hear the light cracks Twigs breaking, off into the distance. With her hunting rifle drawn, she creeps further into the forest, never taking her eyes of the scope as she scans from tree to tree.

But then she stops.

" Shit gotta tell Kevin I heard ….. What!? where is that idiot ! " Ellie says as she remembers the rule three, "don't stray too far from the nearest person next to you."

Ellie begins to search for the boy, looking all around her surroundings for the dark hairs dumbass, trying not to give her position away to the possible threats lurking close by.

" Kevin … Kevin where the hell are you, Kevin I swear to god if you're messing with me, I'll fucken destroy you. " She says quietly, still in search mode.

" Miss me, beautiful … "

Ellie's heart drops, in a frantic motion, she spins around using the but of her rifle to bash the intruder.

Missing her strike, she quickly recovers and aims her rifle and the assailant, ready to lob a bullet in their skull.

The person laughs removing their hood " Are you ever not going to fall for that." Says Kevin, as he hangs his binoculars around his neck, dusting the leaves and twigs off himself.

" Are you ?! Are fucken stupid ! I … I almost pulled the trigger you dumbass ! " Ellie says in yelling whisper, instinctively keeping her gun trained on him as she catches breath.

" Hey look, look I'm sorry, I'm sorry ok, I climbed up the tree to get a better view of the valley and I saw you moving below me. I just couldn't help it. " The smile never leaves his face as he tries to explain himself, keeping his hands up in defence.

" You would really pull your shit out here, out in the open !? "

" I said I'm sorry what do you want me to say ? "

" Just shut your damn mouth, and leave me alone for the rest of the way ! And let me have some friggin peace !? Is that okay with you, can you do that !? "

" Well, if you weren't so cute when you were angry then maybe I would leave you alone. "

" What !? So its my fault !? " Says Ellie, as she tries her with all her might to keep her voice down.

Tommy looks up from his map as he and the others formed a circle around an old stump, using it as makeshift table. He passes the map to Mercer as he wonders where the two teens are. Despite Ellie and Kevin's efforts in keeping their argument of the lower sounding nature, Tommy's attention focused on the two as he looks for their location. He spots the pair only a few paces behind and makes his way towards the two teenagers.

" Hey you two, are you getting along back here ? " Tommy says, in a lighthearted tone with his hands on his sides.

" Hey Tom, were good back here, just a small mix up. " Kevin explains, do a bad job of hiding his cockiness.

" Tom !? TOM !? Are you serious ? Who do you think you are ? " Says Ellie under her breath, showing how easily she's annoyed of Kevin.

" Ellie, are good at your end ? " Says Tommy.

Ellie takes a breath, and decides to ignore Kevin's bullshit, "_ everyone's cold and tired, the last thing they need is to play referee in a stupid fight_. " She thinks to herself.

" Yeah Tommy, I'm cool … " Says Ellie.

Tommy studies the girl, her face flushed, her eyes squinted, and her hands Balled in a fists. He's surprised she didn't open with a barrage of swear words about how much the boy was pissing her off her. But then again, it was hard not to see Ellie pissed off about one thing of another.

" _I guess that's just her nature I suppose_. " Tommy concluded in his mind.

" Good, because we've got a bit of a problem … "

* * *

This was a short one but if you could comment, I'd really **appreciate** any advice that you my have !


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